prefer to think in terms of the inverse of P/E, or earnings divided by price, sometimes known as E/P but perhaps better described as earnings yield. When the P/E is 20, for example, the earnings yield is 1/20, or 5 percent. An investor who owns the S&P 500 Index could think of it as a low-grade long-term bond, comparing the earnings yield of this “bond” to the total return from some benchmark for actual bonds, such as long-term Treasuries or corporates of a particular quality grade.
